LONGVIEW, Wash. — The West Coast League All-Star break will arrive none too soon for the Bend Elks.

The Cowlitz Black Bears became the latest team to add to the Elks’ misery Friday night, riding a walk-fueled seven-run inning to a 12-4 win at Story Field.

It was the season-worst eighth loss in a row for the Elks, who opened the second half of the WCL schedule with two straight wins but have not tasted victory since. They are now 2-8 in the second half of the season and 14-23 in league play overall.

In Friday’s opener of a three-game series — the last series before next week’s All-Star festivities in Bend — the Elks rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth inning to close an early deficit to 4-4. Dayton Provost’s two-run double was the big hit of the inning for Bend.

But the bottom of the fifth was a disaster for the visitors. Three Elks pitchers combined to issue five walks and hit a batter, allowing the Black Bears to score seven runs — on only two hits — to take an 11-4 lead.

Provost finished with three hits to raise his batting average to .321. He also scored two runs and had two RBIs. Brad Morgan and Efry Cervantes each had two of the Elks’ 10 hits.

— Bulletin staff report